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In November, Chinese journalists were given a clear reminder of their duty by Mr Hu Zhanfan, the new head of CCTV, the powerful government-controlled broadcaster in China. Journalists, he declared, must remember that they are first and foremost “mouthpieces” of the government, that is, the Communist Party of China. This is, he emphasised, their purpose and identity, indeed, their raison d’être.
 
His view of the media is the standard Marxist-Leninist line. Every profession and institution exists to support the leadership of a Marxist state, and the media’s way to do this is to “propagandise” the policies and decisions of the government. Indeed, in the days of Comrade Stalin and Chairman Mao when doctrinaire Marxism ruled, the media was a department of government, even if the pretence of independence suggested otherwise to gullible foreign visitors. 
 
The concept of an independent and critical press as an essential component of a democratic society carries no weight with the Communist Party of China, anymore than independent trade unions or competing political parties do. Such a “freedom” is a tool of capitalism, they would say, and should not be permitted to exist. The concept of investigative journalism, revealing corruption or bungling by government officials is not meant to in China for Mr Zhanfan. For a Marxist, the party leaders are all-wise and incorruptible, and negative criticism can only come from those who want to sabotage the construction of the Workers’ Paradise. The common people, trainee journalists are instructed, are badly educated, and need guidance about the correct views.
 
China, as we know, has embraced a market economy and has become immensely wealthy. The transition from the command economy of orthodox Marxism to economic freedom of the market, however, has had no parallel in the area of government and politics. The Party backed by the military remains in control—recall Tianamen Square—and it has no intention of handing power to any other group, least of all, the common people. In the area of the exchange of information, the Chinese authorities are only too aware of the role of the Internet in the overthrow of Arab dictatorships in 2011, and the need to be vigilant, and, when necessary, to exercise control.